France's Hollande under pressure to reshuffle government after scandal, poll finds

A majority of the French favour a government reshuffle in the aftermath of a scandal that forced the budget minister to resign after lying about a secret foreign bank account, a poll showed on Sunday.

French President Francois Hollande and his finance minister have spent the past week fending off accusations of a cover-up after former budget minister Jerome Cahuzac admitted lying about a secret 600,000-euro (HK$6m) foreign bank account and was placed under formal investigation by magistrates.

The scandal is a grave blow to Hollande, who had promised his administration would be irreproachable, and raises the pressure on the government as it struggles to reverse a rise in unemployment and meet its economic targets.

A survey by IFOP for the weekly Journal du Dimanche on Sunday showed that 60 per cent of French people wanted Hollande to reshuffle his team, including 42 per cent of left-wing voters.

The poll also said 55 per cent of people felt Hollande’s image had been tarnished at a time when approval ratings have already slumped to below 30 per cent for both him and his prime minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault.

“For the French, the Cahuzac affair is not an isolated case,” said IFOP’s Frederic Dabi. “There is a distrust towards elected officials.”

Hollande, who during his election campaign vowed his main enemy would be the world of finance, faced further scrutiny on Thursday over the business dealings of his campaign treasurer.